CRAIG Hoy, a Conservative MSP for South Scotland, has said “dreadful” A&E waiting times in the Scottish Borders should be “a source of shame” for Scotland’s Health Secretary, Humza Yousaf.
Mr Hoy’s call comes after the latest statistics showed only 68.1% of patients across Scotland were seen within the SNP’s target waiting time of four hours.
The SNP’s target is for 95% of patients to be seen within four hours, but they have not met this target since July 2020.
And in the Scottish Borders, only 65% were seen within four hours.
Mr Hoy said: “These dreadful A&E waiting times no longer come as a surprise but that shouldn’t mean Humza Yousaf accepts them as the norm for patients in the Borders.
“They lead to needless excess deaths the longer and longer waits patients have to suffer at A&E departments.
“Humza Yousaf and his predecessors’ dire workforce planning is the root cause of these dire A&E waiting times, and his flimsy Covid Recovery Plan simply isn’t working for patients or heroic frontline staff in Scottish Borders.
“It is little wonder things are so bad when the SNP Government are more interested in pushing for independence than tackling the crisis in A&E.
“This should be a source of shame for Humza Yousaf and the SNP Government.”
